Contents

1. Khirsu(Uttarakhand)..............................................................................................................1
1.1 Education..............................................................................................................................1
1.2 Roads....................................................................................................................................1
1.3 Agriculture............................................................................................................................2
1.4 Literacy................................................................................................................................2
1.5 Youth....................................................................................................................................2
1.6 Health...................................................................................................................................2
1.7 Water, sanitation and electricity...........................................................................................3
2.Raithal (Uttarakhand)..............................................................................................................3
2.1 Tourism.................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Forest Management..............................................................................................................3
3.Tipujote (West Bengal)...........................................................................................................4
3.1 Claim for Gorkhaland..........................................................................................................4
3.2 Development Interventions:.................................................................................................5
4.Babupur (West Bengal)...........................................................................................................6
4.1 Agriculture............................................................................................................................6
4.2 Migration..............................................................................................................................6
4.3 Education..............................................................................................................................6
4.4 Electricity.............................................................................................................................6
5.Dhamua (West Bengal)...........................................................................................................7
5.1 People...................................................................................................................................7
5.2 Agriculture............................................................................................................................7
5.3 Education..............................................................................................................................7
5.4 Availability of Water............................................................................................................7
5.5 Politics..................................................................................................................................8
6. Differential Diagnosis............................................................................................................8
6.1 Sources Of employment.......................................................................................................8
6.2 Irrigation...............................................................................................................................8
6.3 Education..............................................................................................................................9
6.4 Tourism.................................................................................................................................9
6.5 Forest Development.............................................................................................................9
This assignment has been done by participants who went for their fieldwork in the states of
West Bengal and Uttrakhand. As other states of India, both of these states are unique.
Following are some of the problems observed by the participants in these states.

1. Khirsu(Uttarakhand)
1.1 Education
In its broad sense, education refers to any act or experience that has a formative effect on the
mind, character, or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense education is the
process by which society, through schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions,
deliberately transmits its cultural heritage--its accumulated knowledge, values, and skills--
from one generation to another. (George. F. Kenner). Education had always been an important
factor in development process as it acts as a catalyst in the reaction of development. In my
village I observed the literacy rate to be 65% for the village, female literacy is 55% and male
literacy is 75% (page 6 of esv). If we compare it with the stats given by the government of
Uttarakhand i.e. 72.28% overall literacy, female literacy 60.26% and male literacy is 84.01%
(www. gov.ua.nic.in/schooleducation/litracy), there is a major setback. If we try to figure out
the reason for this, we came to know about the following:
The village Khirsu is in the ‘aatidurgam kshetra’ which means the interior most area in the
Himalayas where basic amenities are lacking. If a teacher is posted in the college of these
area either they take medical leave, try for a transfer or don’t come to the college as they
know that being an ‘aatidurgam kshetra’, the seniors/inspectors will also be not reaching the
place. The government inter college of Khirsu had more than 200 students but the number of
teachers present in the college was halved of the total posting there. There were no teachers
for chemistry, physics and other subjects. The villagers were a bit apprehensive about the
future of the students in the college. Inspite of a lot of cheating cases in the board exams, the
passing percentage was very low. (page 13,14 of esv).
Better employment opportunities for the villagers in the area and presence of teachers
in the college (by giving them higher perk for staying in the ‘aatidurgam kshetra’) can be of
some help to bring the literacy rate at par with the state literacy rate.

1.2 Roads
Uttarakhand has a length of 535 km of national highways and 1140 km of state highway. The
condition of the roads is by and large good .Our village comes under Pauri district which is
the home district of present CM of Uttarakhand. Due to this reason proper attention has been
given to roads. However, sometimes hilly terrain of the state creates problems like land

1
sliding, earthquakes, and soil erosion. As a result during the rainy season the condition of
roads becomes deplorable.

1.3 Agriculture
In Uttarakhand’s GDP, agriculture occupies second place after services. Three forth of the
states workforce is engaged in agriculture but in our village we found a shift from agriculture
to other sectors. People prefer to work as a daily laborer than as a cultivator. One of the
reasons is the availability of manual work in the village.Also the fact that area doesn’t have
irrigation facilities hinders agriculture cultivation in the area.

1.4 Literacy
Uttarakhand has a literacy rate of 72% which is considerably higher than national average .In
our village literacy level was fairly good. There was no apparent discrimination in terms of
education but after 12th girls used to hesitate to go to college as it was 30 km far from the
village. Also there was no science faculty at intermediate level so teachers themselves tell
student not to take science. The unavailability of science faculty is due to the fact that village
comes under remote area and presently the transfer policy of Uttarakhand government
prohibits any transfer from remote area to other accessible area

1.5 Youth
Because of lot of army personnel from the state who are deployed to other parts of the
country and send their salary through money order the states economy is termed as money
order economy. Army is still preferred choice of youths in Uttarakhand
In our village also, most of the youths think a good job means joining Army. This area
has produced lot of martyrs and still from each household one could see at least a member in
army. Youngsters think joining army means carry forward the great legacy of their
forefathers.Apart from joining army, they work as a mechanic and technician in nearby
industrial areas.

1.6 Health
Uttarakhand has 232 PHCs and 49 CHCs. Infant mortality rate (44) is well below the national
average. Condition of health is relatively better than other villages in the vicinity because
Khirsu has a PHC. Many a people use locally available herbs and get benefit from its
medicinal properties. Older people still prefer this to allopathic medicines

1.7 Water, sanitation and electricity

The state has only 45% water coverage. Thanks to underground water sources that are
quenching the thirst of the people in our village Khirsu and many such places otherwise the
2
situation could be alarming. Because of poor water availability sanitation and hygiene
conditions were not satisfactory. Yet, according to PHC records no major disease was
reported. Most of the problems were water related (skin irritation)
Nearly all households out of 250 are enjoying electricity. According to 2001 census;
electrification has reached 60% of households in Uttarakhand.
ESV (06, 20 uttarakhand) Part 5-Page no.7, 8 ,9,10,11
www.uttaranchalbiz.com

2.Raithal (Uttarakhand)
2.1 Tourism
Uttarakhand is one of the blessed states in terms of the natural beauty. The mountain ranges,
green deodar forests and beautiful water sources make this state very scenic. Every year this
state hosts around 2 crore tourists form India and around 1.2 lakh tourists from abroad and lot
of revenue to the state comes in form of tourism. The interior villages like Raithal in
Uttarkashi and Khirsu in Pauri Garhwal are no exception and have all the capabilities to
attract tourists. Many tourists visit these villages for adventure activities like mountaineering,
trekking etc. Growth in tourism would provide immense economic opportunities to the
residents. Although the concept of ecotourism and home-stay programs is being promoted, it
calls for a serious effort from the state government and the tourist department to market these
small but most prospective villages. This will help in bringing more tourists to these villages
and hence the residents and local entrepreneurs will be benefited. One more attraction of the
village Raithal is the high-altitude meadow where the state government is planning to make a
resort and a stadium for organising winter sports. The construction of a ropeway is also in the
pipeline. Once these plans are given physical shape the economy of these small villages will
get a boost as more and more households will get employment opportunities. (EVS 29042
5.8.1 and RAC)

2.2 Forest Management

Uttarakhand has nearly seventy percent forest cover. These forests hold lot of valuable
resources in terms of wildlife, trees, medicinal plants, fruits etc. The villages Raithal and
Khirsu are close to the forests. Forests are an integral part of the hill dwelling villager’s life.
They are one of the most important natural resources that are available to them. The villagers
are hugely dependent on the forests for most of their activities. The forests are regularly used
to collect fuel wood, wood for the construction of doors and furniture, the leaves are used for
cattle feed and leaves from some species are also used as manure. A number of trees like

3
Deodar and Pine are scientifically proven to have medicinal qualities. Uttarakhand state has
had some successful examples of concept called Van-panchayats which involves community
forest management. The Van-panchayat of Tehri-Garhwal is one such example of effective
management of forest resources to benefit the villagers. These models can prove to be of
great benefit to the villages those are close to forests. Both Raithal and Khirsu have Van-
panchayats but the members are dormant and no productive work has so far been done. The
government should provide more assistance to these van-panchayats so that they can work
productively and independently in the long run. (ESV 29042 9.1 and 10.2)

3.Tipujote (West Bengal)

3.1 Claim for Gorkhaland
Our village tipujote in west Bengal, being right next to the Nepal border, the area had a
considerable proportion of gorkhas residing there. Due to the presence of so many races in
the area (Gorkhas, Santhal tribals, Bengalis, Rajvanshis) there is some communal tension
prevalent, especially since the Gorkhaland movement has again resurfaced in the region, with
its center being in Siliguri, which is hardly 20 kms away from the village. Though our village
did not face many problems regarding this issue, being comprised wholly of tribals, but the
whole area surrounding it has witnessed several incidents of communal violence. The
Gorkhas, under the political leadership of the party GJMM (Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha), and
its leader Bimal Gurung, protested and agitated for a separate state. The agitations took a
violent form, due to various factors, like the pent up anger and frustration of the local
Gorkhas, who had been treated like second class Indian citizens, and sidelined from the day
to day life of the region; the retaliation and instigation of the Bengalis, who feeling insecure
about the growing political strength of the Gorkhas, also organized themselves, and agitated
and clashed with them; the Santhals, who claim to be the original inhabitants of the region
(Dooars), also opposed the movement, and were involved in several clashes.
At the state level, the scene was comparatively calmer and less tense. Since there are
not many regions which boast of such cultural diversity over such a small area, the clash of
interest among them is lesser. Also, at the state level, the movement is more political in
nature. The forms of protests being adopted are more peaceful e.g. disobedience of state laws
by not paying taxes, electricity bills, etc., bandhs, and so on. The target of these agitations are
also not individual communities like Bengalis as such, but the state and the central level
political structure. Also, the aims of the movement are to bring about institutional changes in
the state level policies, and to attain a separate state, rather than just retaliatory motives as in
the case at the village level.
4
 The state can play its part in defusing the tense situations at the village level, by being
responsive to the demands of Gorkhaland leaders, and by indulging in dialogue with them.
The leaders of these Gorkha parties can also control this violence by discouraging it at any
level, and promoting only the peaceful methods.

References- ESV (pg 21, Tipujote, West Bengal)

CAC assignment (Gorkhaland movement)

3.2 Development Interventions:

The cross border trade or in other words the smuggling of goods and materials from India to
Nepal was a common phenomenon in the Village Tipujote of west Bengal. The village is
situated just 3 km away from the international border of Nepal and
communication/transportation from India to Nepal or vice versa is not at all difficult. The
people find it as a most feasible and lucrative source of income, that’s why 75% of the people
from the Village Tipujote is indulged into this. The edible oil, areca nuts and other consumer
goods are transported from India to Nepal and Kerosene, sugar, rice etc are being smuggled
from Nepal to India. As all these activities generate income for the poor people of the villages
they don’t consider these activities as illegal but a source of livelihood.
The development of the people in this particular area is been depended upon the
transaction that takes place between the international border of India and Nepal. The police
and local governmental organisation knows about the situation and they don’t interfere in the
cross border trade as it provides livelihood to large chunk of population in the region.
The situation of smuggling is also quite dominant in the state of west Bengal. The
goods manufactured in the state are also being supplied illegally to Bangladesh, China,
Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. The situation is quite similar for the village Tipujote and the state of
west Bengal, poverty and unemployment indirectly forces the people to adopt such sort of
activities. The Border security force is always monitoring the border of India and Bangla desh
as several times the smuggling of drugs and other precious metals had damaged the Indian
economy. (Reference ESV 29033_68, Livelihood Systems, pg 27)

4.Babupur (West Bengal)

4.1 Agriculture: Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of the village. However lack of
proper irrigation facilities make it a not so viable source of livelihood (Ref-ESV Report-
p29045, p29063, p29067, Sec9.1). However horticultural production especially fruit
5
cultivation holds an important palce in the economy. Almost every household in Babupur has
a mango orchard and such large scale mango cultivation does not take place any where else in
West Bengal. (www.malda.gov.in)

4.2 Migration: Migration is a big problem in the village. As the village economy depends
entirely upon agriculture and the land is fragmented, so the poor and landless of the village
go to places like Delhi and Haryana for jobs (page 8 of Theme paper-29045). In a broader
sense, the state of West Bengal is agriculturally prosperous and along with fisheries, it is a
viable option in almost all the districts. This makes Malda district different from the rest of
the state. Non viability of agriculture and fisheries has forced large scale migration of the
villagers to other places as mentioned above. This again is an endemic phenomenon in West
Bengal and such large scale migration is not found anywhere in the state except West
Midnapore.

4.3 Education: The status of education is very bad in the village of Babupur. The literacy
rate in Babupur is 54 % (page 9 of Theme paper-29045) which when compared to the state
average of 68.64 % (page 1 of Theme paper-29045) is very low. Reasons for so literacy rate
is the less income from farm, schools are far away (page 10 of Theme paper-29045).

4.4 Electricity: Even though West Bengal is a power surplus state

(http://www.financialexpress.com/news/west-bengal-suffering-on-account-of-surplus-power-
syndrome/101286/0), the village of Babupur does not have electricity connection (page 14 of
Theme Paper-29045). There is power in nearby villages of Barokona but Babupur and
surrounding villages are still to get their power supply.
As in any other under developed place there are many reasons for existence of so
many problems. The first is the poverty trap. Income from farm is low and there are not many
alternative avenues of income. Second reason is the economic policy. There is not much of
investment in the state of West Bengal and poverty and illiteracy make the level of human
capital of the village very low. Even the population density is very high (Malda has
population density of 881 persons per sq. km. which is much higher than West Bengal’s rural
density of 676 persons per sq. km.,
http://www.indiastat.com/table/demographics/7/density/75/415221/data. aspx).

6
5.Dhamua (West Bengal)

5.1 People: The people of Dhamua are Santhals. They follow Sarna religion and speak
Santhali whereas the majority of the people in West Bengal speak Bengali and are Hindus or
Muslims. Some villagers also follow Christianity. The society in the village is largely a
matriarchal society whereas in West Bengal, at large it is a patriarchal society (refer to section
5 of the field work report,29064)
The entire population of Dhamua is Scheduled Tribes. Thus they are entitled to certain
preferences by the government. As per the official records, the majority of the population is
in the BPL category. However we observed that many of the families did not have a ration
card and some had APL ration cards though they were entitled for the BPL cards (refer to my
village experiences- Shankar Mondal,29064).

5.2 Agriculture: West Bengal is the number one producer of Rice in the country in the state
but that is not the main crop in Dhamua. The reason is the poor rainfall that this area
experiences over the years. As a coping strategy, the villagers have planted mango trees on
their farmlands (refer to section 4.2 of the field work report,29064).

5.3 Education: Educational development of the village started way back in 1959 when the
missionaries from Norway built the first school (refer to section 7.6 of the Field Work report).
This is a girl’s school which is one of its own kinds in the area. This school has the status of a
minority school and is funded accordingly. However, the administration is not in the hands of
the government and is looked after by a particular group. As a result of the school, the female
literacy rate is higher than the men in the village which is not the same for the state (refer to
section 5-5 of the field work report, 29064).

5.4 Availability of Water: Drinking Water is a scarce resource in Dhamua. Though the
number of water bodies is very high, the high amount of Arsenic, Iron etc, makes the water
unfit for drinking. At the state level too, arsenic is a major problem, extending upto the South
24Parganasdistrict,borderingBangladesh.(Ref-
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080611/jsp/siliguri/story_9392537.jsp)sss

7
5.5 Politics: At the village level, CPI (M) is the ruling party which is the same at the Block
and State level. However, at the district level, Congress has the mandate. Because of this, the
villagers who are the supporters of the Congress do not enjoy any facility from the Panchayat
Pradhan.

6. Differential Diagnosis
6.1 Sources Of employment: In the villages of the state of West Bengal, generation of
employment activities is the most important developmental activity that is required. This is
because lack of enough income is the source of so many problems in these villages. Apart
from that there should be more industrial development, especially small scale industries so
that the people of this area have more avenues of income.
Second thing that can be done is to promote handicraft making in this area by making
a state level agency to market the handicraft made by the people of these areas. Third thing to
be done is to provide better education infrastructure in this area, proper implementation of
schemes like NREGA. In the village of Tipujote and surrounding areas, the women should be
given vocational training so that they can be self employed. This will reduce their
vulnerability from trafficking.

6.2 Irrigation: To address the problem an N.G.O was constructing rain water harvesting
tank near the village of Khrisu at very substantial rate. With some additional investment
water lifting is also possible in Khirsu, in Uttarakhand that could sort out the problem and
make agriculture more viable in this area and reduce some other problems like migration.
Though water lifting is not possible in the area, water harvesting structures can surely
solve the problems of irrigation both in Babupur as well as Tipujyote. Also, digging of ponds
can be taken up. Ponds will provide water for irrigation, recharge the ground water and
facilitate pisiculture.

6.3 Education: The spending on primary education and higher education in West Bengal is
lower than that in many other states. Because of this the number of primary and secondary
schools is quite less as compared to many other states. As a result, many students, especially

8
female students remain outside the realm of formal education, especially due to the fact that
the schools are often far away. This problem can be countered by opening atleast one primary
and one secondary school in the vicinity of the village.
To overcome the problem of illiteracy in Uttrakhand, better employment opportunities
for the villagers in the area and presence of teachers in the college (by giving them higher
perk for staying in the ‘aatidurgam kshetra’) can be of some help to bring the literacy rate at
par with the state literacy rate. In Uttarakhand, there are problems regarding teacher’s
availability. A proper government transfer policy needs to be framed that would do justice
with the students and their careers. Courses on computer education could be introduced in
schools.

6.4 Tourism: The villages in Pandua Gram Panchayat are quite near to many archaeological
sites and a forest resort, which sees influx of tourists from places as far as Rajasthan and
Gujarat. The region around the village can thus be developed for catering to these people, by
way of guide training programmes and home stay programmes. Similarly Tipujyote is quite
close to Darjeeling and Siliguri and such programmes can be developed there too.
In Uttarakhand, although the concept of ecotourism and home-stay programs is being
promoted, it calls for a serious effort from the state government and the tourist department to
market these small but most prospective villages. This will help in bringing more tourists to
these villages and hence the residents and local entrepreneurs will be benefited. One more
attraction of the village Raithal is the high-altitude meadow where the state government is
planning to make a resort and a stadium for organising winter sports. The construction of a
ropeway is also in the pipeline. Once these plans are given physical shape the economy of
these small villages will get a boost as more and more households will get employment
opportunities. (ESV 29042 5.8.1 and RAC).

6.5 Forest Development: The Van-panchayat of Tehri-Garhwal is an example of effective

management of forest resources to benefit the villagers in the state of Uttarakhand. These
models can prove to be of great benefit to the villages those are close to forests. The
government should provide more assistance to these van-panchayats so that they can work
productively and independently in the long run. (ESV 29042 9.1 and 10.2). Similar
interventions can also be carried out in Tipujyote and adjoining areas which have a natural
forest cover.

9
10